# $cs.CustomInventory_SetValue

> Writes a custom inventory value for CapaOne, optionally with a unit such as bytes or date. Creates the category and instance if they don't exist.

Source: https://docs.capaone.com/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-setvalue/  
Product: CapaInstaller — a separate CapaSystems product; do not apply this page to any other.

**CapaOne**

### Description

Writes a custom inventory value for CapaOne, optionally with a unit such as `bytes` or `date`. Creates the category and instance if they don't exist. Windows-only.

Custom inventory has three levels, stored in the 64-bit registry as `HKLM\SOFTWARE\CapaSystems\CapaOneAgent\CustomInventory\<Category>\<Instance>\<Name>`:

- A **category** groups related data, for example `Office` or `Installed Applications`.
- An **instance** is one item in the category, for example one application. A category with only one item uses the instance `default`.
- A **name** is one value of the instance, for example `Version`.

Each instance also has a `Last Updated` value with the date and time of its last change. The function updates it only when the value is new or different from the stored value, so you can write the same values on every run.

:::note[Collected only by CapaOne]
The function works on any Windows device, also under CapaInstaller, and stores the data in the registry under `HKLM\SOFTWARE\CapaSystems\CapaOneAgent\CustomInventory`. Only the CapaOne agent collects it, with its hardware inventory. On a device without the CapaOne agent, the data stays in the registry.
:::

### Names

Category, instance and value names can only contain:

- Letters, also letters such as `æ`, `ø` and `å`
- Digits
- Spaces
- Hyphens (`-`)

Other characters, such as `_`, `.`, `$`, `\`, `+` or parentheses, aren't allowed, because CapaOne uses the names as field names. A custom inventory function rejects a name with other characters: it writes the name, the characters that aren't allowed and these rules to the package log, and throws an error. For example, `Notepad++`, `Office 2.0` and `Install_Date` aren't valid names, but `Notepad`, `Office 2-0` and `Install Date` are.

To use a name from elsewhere, for example the name of an installed application, replace the other characters first:

```powershell
$instance = $appName -replace '[^\p{L}\p{Nd} -]', '-'   # 'Notepad++' becomes 'Notepad--'
```

The CapaOne agent skips a category, instance or value whose name breaks these rules, for example one created by hand in Registry Editor, and writes a warning in its log.

### Syntax

$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue(string category, string instance, string name, object value, string unit = "")

### Parameters

#### category (String)

Name of the category, for example `Office`. Leading and trailing spaces are removed. Can't be empty or longer than 255 characters, and can only contain letters, digits, spaces and `-`: see [Names](#names). Names aren't case-sensitive: `Office` and `office` are the same category.

#### instance (String)

Name of the instance in the category, for example the name of an application. Pass `""` for a category with only one instance, which then uses the instance `default`. Same rules as `category`.

#### name (String)

Name of the value, for example `City`. Can't be empty, and can only contain letters, digits, spaces and `-`: see [Names](#names). The names `Instance` and `Last Updated` are reserved: the CapaOne agent adds the instance name as `Instance`, and `Last Updated` is maintained for you.

#### value (Object)

The value. Its type decides how it's stored, and how CapaOne shows it:

| You pass | Stored in the registry as |
|:--|:--|
| A string, for example `'Copenhagen'` | `REG_SZ`: `Copenhagen` |
| An integer, for example `3` | `REG_DWORD`, or `REG_QWORD` for an integer larger than 2,147,483,647 |
| `$true` or `$false` | `REG_SZ`: `{"value":true}` |
| A decimal number, for example `43.5` | `REG_SZ`: `{"value":43.5}` |
| An array of strings, for example `@('Development', 'Support')` | `REG_MULTI_SZ`. CapaOne shows it as one text: `Development, Support` |
| A date and time, for example `(Get-Date)` | `REG_SZ`: `{"unit":"date","value":"2026-10-20 08:20:17Z"}` |
| Any value with a `unit` | `REG_SZ`, for example `{"unit":"bytes","value":5242880}` |

A date is always stored with the unit `date`, in UTC and to the whole second. `$null` isn't allowed — to remove a value, use [$cs.CustomInventory_RemoveValue](/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-removevalue/). A string in the format `{"value":...}` isn't allowed either, because it would be read as a typed value.

#### unit (String)

Optional. The unit of the value. CapaOne uses it to show the value, for example `5242880` with the unit `bytes` as 5 MB. Units are case-sensitive. Valid units:

| Unit | What the value is | Value to pass | CapaOne shows it as |
|:--|:--|:--|:--|
| `percent` | A percentage, from 0 to 100 | Number | `99.5 %` |
| `Hz` | A frequency in hertz | Number | Scaled by 1,000, for example `2 GHz` |
| `cm` | A length in centimeters | Number | `61 cm` |
| `inch` | A length in inches | Number | `24 ″` |
| `bytes` | A size in bytes | Number | Scaled by 1,024, for example `5 MB` |
| `Bps` | Bytes per second | Number | Scaled by 1,024, for example `12 MBps` |
| `bit` | A number of bits | Number | `64 bit` |
| `bps` | Bits per second | Number | Scaled by 1,000, for example `100 Mbps` |
| `s` | A duration in seconds | Number | `12 s` |
| `ms` | A duration in milliseconds | Number | Scaled by 1,000, for example `1.5 s` |
| `V` | A voltage in volts | Number | `12 V` |
| `amp` | A current in amperes | Number | `2 amp` |
| `mAh` | A battery capacity in milliampere-hours | Number | `5000 mAh` |
| `date` | A date and time | Date, see below | The date and time |
| `locale` | A language, for example `da-DK` | Text | The language name, for example `Danish (Denmark)` |
| `url` | A web address | Text | A link |

A number can also be a string with a number in it, with a period as the decimal separator: `'5242880'` or `'43.5'`. A string with other characters, such as `'12 MB'`, isn't a number.

For the unit `date`, pass one of these:

- A `DateTime`, for example `(Get-Date)`.
- Unix time as a number: seconds (9 or 10 digits) or milliseconds (12 or 13 digits).
- A date as text: ISO 8601, for example `2026-10-17T11:06:43+02:00` or `2026-10-17 09:06:43Z`, a WMI date such as `20260104224730.000000+060`, or a PowerShell 5.1 JSON date such as `/Date(1760608800000)/`.
- A date as text in the device's own date format, or in a common US or European format.

A date without a time zone is read as the device's local time. The order of day and month in a date like `07-06-2026` depends on the device's date format, so use a `DateTime` or ISO 8601 when you can.

### Return value

None. Throws an error if an argument isn't valid, for example a name with a character that isn't allowed, an unknown unit or a value that doesn't fit its unit. In PowerShell, the reason is in `$_.Exception.InnerException.Message`.

### Example

**PowerShell**

A category with one instance. The instance `""` becomes `default`:

```powershell
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Office', '', 'City', 'Copenhagen')
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Office', '', 'Floor', 3)
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Office', '', 'Has Parking', $true)
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Office', '', 'Language', 'da-DK', 'locale')
```

A category with one instance per installed application, with units:

```powershell
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Installed Applications', '7-Zip', 'Version', '24.08')
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Installed Applications', '7-Zip', 'Installed On', (Get-Date))
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Installed Applications', '7-Zip', 'Installer Size', 1599488, 'bytes')
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Installed Applications', '7-Zip', 'Website', 'https://www.7-zip.org', 'url')
```

Writing a value that may not fit its unit, and logging why it wasn't written:

```powershell
try {
    $cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Installed Applications', 'Firefox', 'Installer Size', $sizeText, 'bytes')
} catch {
    $cs.Job_WriteLog("Installer Size not written: $($_.Exception.InnerException.Message)")
}
```

### Moving from CMS_AddCustomInventory

CapaInstaller's own custom inventory, [CMS_AddCustomInventory](/capainstaller/vb-scripting-library/cms-functions/cms-addcustominventory/), has two levels: a category and an entry. To write the same data as CapaOne custom inventory, use the category as it is, the instance `""`, and the entry as the name:

| CMS_AddCustomInventory | $cs.CustomInventory_SetValue |
|:--|:--|
| `category` | `category` |
| — | `instance`: `""`, the instance `default` |
| `entry` | `name` |
| `value` with the valuetype `S` | `value` as a string |
| `value` with the valuetype `I` | `value` as an integer |
| `value` with the valuetype `T`, seconds since 1970 | `value` as the same number, with the unit `date` |

A CapaInstaller category or entry may have a name with characters that CapaOne doesn't allow, such as `_`, `.` or parentheses. Replace them, see [Names](#names): for example, write the entry `Version (x64)` as `Version x64`.

To remove an entry, use [$cs.CustomInventory_RemoveValue](/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-removevalue/) in place of [CMS_RemoveCustomInventory](/capainstaller/vb-scripting-library/cms-functions/cms-removecustominventory/).

During the move, a package can write both. Afterwards, open `HKLM\SOFTWARE\CapaSystems\CapaOneAgent\CustomInventory` in Registry Editor to check that the data matches your CapaInstaller custom inventory:

**PowerShell**

```powershell
# CapaInstaller custom inventory
CMS_AddCustomInventory -category 'Bitlocker' -entry 'TPM Chip - Enabled' -value 'True' -valuetype 'S'
CMS_AddCustomInventory -category 'Bitlocker' -entry 'TPM Chip - Manufactured' -value '1694973146' -valuetype 'T'

# The same entries as CapaOne custom inventory
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Bitlocker', '', 'TPM Chip - Enabled', 'True')
$cs.CustomInventory_SetValue('Bitlocker', '', 'TPM Chip - Manufactured', 1694973146, 'date')
```

### Related functions

[$cs.CustomInventory_GetValue](/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-getvalue/) [$cs.CustomInventory_RemoveValue](/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-removevalue/) [$cs.CustomInventory_GetInstance](/capainstaller/powerpacks/cs-custominventory-getinstance/) [CMS_AddCustomInventory](/capainstaller/vb-scripting-library/cms-functions/cms-addcustominventory/)